Lone Pup
by Yosem Tiva
Summary: A usual visitor 'knocks on' Gibbs's door asking for help.  Gibbs ,of course, never says  no to such a visitor as he had never done it for the past 10 years. WARNING: pup!Tony, AU,supernatural theme,not beta'd


**Title: Lone pup**

**Warning: pup! Tony, AU, cursing, supernatural theme, **_**not**_** beta'd**

**Genre: Hurt/comfort, angst, supernatural **

**Spoilers: SWAK, Hiatus, vague mention of Gibbs's other wood projects-other than the boat. So mainly up till season (8).**

**Summary: A usual visitor 'knocks on' Gibbs's door asking for help. Gibbs ,of course, never says no to such a visitor as he had never done it for the past 10 years.**

**A/N: This fic is discussing a puppy Tony, so if u aren't interested, hit the back button. And if u are, please proceed and tell me what u think. This is the first time I write this type of genre - I was even a little hesitant about publishing it - so please I need all the support that I could get!**

**Lone pup**

Gibbs heard the faint thumping in the garage before he heard the whining sound in the garage. He dropped his tools on the workbench and ran upstairs. He grabbed his torch as went through the kitchen to the living room and opened the front door. He quickly approached the opened garage door and directed the light under the truck. He could still hear the whining of a small creature.

He kneeled on the floor and looked where he guessed the creature was hiding. The minute the light fell on the creature, it shrank further under the truck. The whining got louder as he reached with his hand for it.

"Hey boy, what are ya doing under the truck?" Gibbs whispered soothingly as he offered his open palm for the creature to investigate.

It started whining brokeningly as Gibbs reached further in. The small animal backed away from Gibbs's hands as it crawled further inside. When the animal's back hit the back tire, its whining got louder. It stared at Gibbs frighteningly as his hand got closer.

"Easy boy… I'm not gonna hurt ya" Gibbs kept whispering calmly as he reached further under the truck. He was practically sprawled on the floor with his hand stretched in front of him. He put the torch on the floor with the light drowning the small miserable creature.

"Come on … come on boy" murmuring Gibbs reached in his pocket for the ever present treats for his favorite silver Husky puppy. He put it in his palm and presented it to the scared puppy.

The silvery puppy tilted its head in that endearing way of his. It started sniffing delicately at his hands. Then, it gave a small shiver before it started nibbling lightly at the treat. Gibbs reached with his other hand to rub the puppy's head.

" Atta boy"

When the puppy finished the treat , it licked Gibbs's hand clean. It shivered again and crawled slowly to Gibbs. The Husky puppy then nestled beside Gibbs's head while still shivering.

"It's okay boy…everything is gonna be okay" Gibbs murmured as he carried the almost asleep puppy. He crawled from under the truck with the puppy still nestled to his side with the protective circle of his arms around it.

Gibbs cursed profusely - as straightened up - when he felt the twinge in his back. The puppy whimpered softly waking up from its semi-nape. It started licking Gibbs's hand as Gibbs groaned softly while rubbing his back.

"It's okay boy… it's not your fault I'm getting old" Gibbs spoke tenderly while rubbing the puppy's head.

The puppy kept licking his hand as Gibbs went inside the house.

"You must be starving pup" Gibbs kept talking to the anxious puppy as he went about preparing a cooked steak. He kept carrying the pup while cooking. He would never leave the pup unattended ,ever. It was experience and an almost stepped over pup that taught him that.

He knew how clingy the pup was and how he would trip over the puppy. And it would end up more terrified than ever. He would spend half the day to force the pup out from under him workbench in basement.

Gibbs looked down at the drowsy pup as he sat down on the couch with the plate in his other hand. He put the plate on the table. Then, he sat the pup on the couch beside him while getting the knife out of his belt. As he started cutting the steak into small pieces, the puppy moved slowly beside him. Gibbs smiled faintly as he felt rather than saw the pup jump clumsily into his lap.

The pup circled Gibbs's lap several times before finally settling down with a contended sigh. It looked up at Gibbs with startlingly bright green eyes. Gibbs looked down at the same time and his breath caught in his throat. He could feel as much as see the pain in those familiar green eyes. He set the knife down, picked up the plate again and sat back on the couch.

" I'm sorry Tony. I should have been there for you." Gibbs whispered softly as he kept gazing at the glistening green eyes. The pup butted its head against Gibbs's hand as it stood up. Gibbs didn't even hesitate for a second and started stroking the puppy's head slowly.

The silvery puppy leveled its front paws on Gibbs's chest with its back paws still resting on Gibbs's lap. It came to eye level with Gibbs's face. The pup stared deeply into Gibbs's blue eyes before releasing a soft bark at the back of its throat. Green met blue for a long moment than a normal puppy and human could stare at each other. Gibbs started caressing the soft silver fur on the pup's back as small tears started falling from the green orbs. The pup snuffled softly before licking Gibbs's face once and going down to sit back on Gibbs's lap.

Gibbs released a sigh as the pup sat down. He would never understand the enigma that was Tony. He needed to discuss what happened earlier and the reason why he turned into a pup. But it will have to wait till he was back in human form.

The pup nudged Gibbs's hand to get his attention. Gibbs immediately reached with his fingers for a small piece of the well-cooked meat and presented it to the hungry pup. It ate quickly the offered piece and looked up expectantly at Gibbs.

Gibbs chuckled softly as he brought another piece of meat to the pup's waiting mouth.

"Always hungry DiNozzo!"

The pup nipped Gibbs's finger softly. Then, it started eating the meat chunk presented to him.

"I'm not gonna apologize for this Tony cuz it is true. No matter what form you are, you're always ready to eat" Gibbs smirked as the pup left the offered piece of meat and glared at Gibbs.

It would have been intimidating, if it wasn't so endearing. Not that he would ever tell that to Tony.

He tried to feed the pup the small piece of meat, but every time he offered it the pup would turn its head.

"Aw, come on Tony. Don't be a party pooper. I didn't mean you have a bubble butt or anything!" Gibbs jibed as he patted the pup's head.

The pup growled softly before lifting itself and jumping from Gibbs's lap to the couch and then jumping to the floor with a small thud.

It ran with its small legs to the kitchen out of sight. Gibbs exhaled loudly as he stood up. He knew how touchy Tony was in pup form, but he wanted to take Tony's mind of off things. He took the plate in his hand and headed for the kitchen. He knew the pup's favorite spot for hiding.

Gibbs climbed down the basement stairs two at a time. He started whistling for the pup.

"Come on pup. I was trying to lighten the mood Tony." Gibbs stated loudly as he spotted the pup hiding under his workbench. This was as close to apology as Gibbs was going to say and the pup knew it.

Gibbs set the plate on the floor and sat himself down for a long night. He put on his working glasses and brought a small piece of wood for closer inspection. He took the chisel in his hand to start carving the wood.

Gibbs kept an eye on the hiding pup. He couldn't help but smirk when he spotted the pup crawling closer towards the deliciously smelling , still hot, steak pieces.

The pup finally reached Gibbs's side and started devouring the meat pieces. Gibbs knew how much energy it took Tony to turn and how much he needed the food- even if he was touchy about his weight gain and getting old.

However old Tony got, he was still a young innocent pure soul at heart. That's why Tony still transformed into a _**pup **_after ten years. He never aged a day in this form. He always had the same Husky type of dog. Tony had the silvery salt and pepper fur coat for almost five years. Gibbs believed and still is that it shows how much painful experiences Tony went through. That's why every year the white fur increased and the black fur decreased. It was the only indicator of how old and worn out Tony was getting as he grew up each year. Just like his own silver hair, Gibbs thought fondly.

The first time Gibbs noticed the change in Tony's fur was when Kate died. Tony's almost black fur grew a patch of the whitest fur he has ever seen on the top of his head with only a handful of black fur left. It saddened Gibbs profoundly to see the grief his friend felt shown so openly on his physique- even if it was a puppy physique.

As Tony witnessed more of the painful experiences, his fur grew whiter. Gibbs still regrets leaving Tony behind and going to Mexico. The minute he remembered how Tony transformed to him that first time, Gibbs had returned straight away to DC.

He could still feel the shock that went through him when he saw how Tony's fur coat had turned almost totally silver. His black silky fur was now silver. He discovered how his senior field agent used to spend his nights in his basement, under his workbench-in his favorite spot.

Gibbs had vowed ever since to never leave Tony, even though Tony never blamed him or spoke a word of it. God knows how long it took him to gain that skittish pup's trust back.

Tony always had that strikingly human green eyes. It always gave away how he felt in human form as well as pup form. It spoke louder than his never still mouth did.

Gibbs looked down on the pup to find it licking the plate clean. The pup still looked wiry with energy and nervousness. Gibbs knelt and picked up the pup in his dusty hands.

"Are we okay now Tony?" Gibbs asked as the puppy kept wiggling in his hands.

Tony immediately stopped squirming and looked up at the man holding him in his hands. The pup barked softly before resuming the wiggling and aiming this time for Gibbs's glasses. It tried to grab for the glasses between its jaws, but failed miserably as it was lifted in the air away from Gibbs's face.

"I guess we're okay after all" Gibbs smiled as he lifted the puppy up in the air away from this potentially hazardous situation.

The puppy yapped excitedly as it squirmed mid air, trying to reach again for Gibbs's glasses. Gibbs could never tell what shiny things did to Tony in pup form.

"Okay, down you go. I still have to work on my project" Gibbs patted the puppy on the head as he sat it on the floor in his favorite spot. He picked up the empty plate and put it on the table next to him to prevent any accidents. Because with Tony, you never know.

Gibbs resumed working on the project at hand while keeping an eye on his agent slash favorite pup. Gibbs looked down when he heard the light paws thudding on the floor to find the puppy playing with the sawdust on the floor. The puppy was lost in its little world as it kept jumping around as it chased dusty small clouds. Its kept barking madly as the dust grew higher in the air. It kept chasing the dust and growling as it swirled on the floor. The puppy was just a bundle of energy moving around with no direction.

Gibbs smiled softly as the pup looked up at him fleetingly and yapped happily before resuming his activity of chasing nonexistent enemies.

Suddenly, the puppy yelped and fell on the floor. It started coughing weakly and growling at the back of its throat.

Gibbs immediately dropped his tools and reached for the coughing puppy. He picked the pup up and ran upstairs while murmuring softly to the terrified puppy.

"Easy pup. Just take a deep breath…. Breathe Tony, breathe" murmuring Gibbs patted his little back while getting a bowl of water filled with water.

The puppy struggled weakly as it reached with its tongue for the water. It drank greedily and coughing between slurps of water.

"That's it. Easy boy. Just take it easy" Gibbs kept stroking the silvery fur soothingly.

When the puppy seemed calm enough, Gibbs carried it to the couch and sat down. He kept stroking the shivering pup setting in his lap, murmuring nonsense to keep it calm.

This was one of the downsides of a pup Tony. Tony would always have the same health issues he had as a human. He would always have the same weak lungs. He would always be a victim of the plague. It would always be Gibbs's fault for not saving his agent.

When Tony was calm enough, the puppy sat up again. It rested its front paws on Gibbs's chest mimicking the earlier posture to look Gibbs in the eyes. It licked the lone tear that slide down Gibbs's cheek. The pup kept licking his face clean with its sloppy tongue. When the pup finished licking Gibbs's face, it rested its head on Gibbs's shoulder in exhaustion.

Gibbs smiled sadly. Tony always knew how to tell him to stop wallowing in his self-pity. He patted the puppy back and hugged it closer to his chest as he had with Kelly when she was just a small baby girl.

Gibbs always knew that whatever triggered Tony's puppy form, it had to do with his need for affection and attention. Tony was a tactile person who needed to be touched and assured most of the time. Being neglected as a child tends to do that to people. But as a grown up, Tony couldn't ask for this physical affection. He only had it when Gibbs slapped him on the back of his head. That was why Tony reverted into a puppy in his most miserable times.

Anyone would hug, pat, kiss or even cuddle a small Husky puppy. But no one would give a second thought to a grown man needing the same affection and attention. Gibbs always spoke with body language more than with his mouth. That was what drew Tony to him and that's why he always came to him when he became a pup. Tony trusted him from the beginning to give him the kind of attention that he needed.

Gibbs kept hugging the puppy closely while running his hands through the silvery and silk fur. The puppy slowly slid down and curled up in his lap. It looked up with glistening green eyes to Gibbs's shining blue ones. It licked Gibbs's knuckles fragilely before succumbing to sleep.

Gibbs knew how the week's events had affected Tony. How seeing his father suddenly after such a long time was distracting him. Tony distractedness was not to be missed during the case. How Gibbs had to head slap him several times just so that he could stay focused on the case.

Gibbs still regretted reprimanding him in front of the prince and his brother, but it was inevitable.

Tony senior was a SOB that neglected his child and caused him nothing but pain. Gibbs knew how losing a wife would feel like, but that was no reason to neglect his one and one child. If Kelly survived, Gibbs would have never done to Kelly what senior had done to his son.

That must have been the reason Tony came to him in pup form and didn't wait to change at Gibb's home. Tony knew the risks, but Gibbs knew he couldn't help himself sometimes.

The soft sniffling-snoring sound in his lap brought him back to present. He carried the sleeping puppy to his guest room and set the pup down on the bed. Gibbs tucked the boy in and let him be for the present time.

He knew that Tony would turn back when he was ready to talk. If not, he still had the full weekend and a certain lonely puppy to drive him crazy!


End file.
